KR20100042858A

KR20100042858A - Hinge assembly of folder type portable terminal

Info

Publication number: KR20100042858A
Application number: KR1020080102050A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 박종구; 박현서; 하갑승
Original assignee: 삼광공업(주)
Priority date: 2008-10-17
Filing date: 2008-10-17
Publication date: 2010-04-27
Also published as: WO2010044625A2; WO2010044625A3

Abstract

PURPOSE: A hinge assembly of a folder type portable terminal is provided to be selectively converted into a system or non-system structure. CONSTITUTION: A hollow is formed along a hollow in a body bracket(110), and is fixed to one side of the folder type bracket(120). The hollow is formed along the axial direction in the folder type bracket, and a hinge shaft(130) is inserted into the portion over the hollows of the body bracket and the folder type bracket. The hinge shaft performs a support operation to allow the relative rotation between the body bracket and the folder type bracket.

Description

Hinge assembly of folder type portable terminal

The present invention relates to a hinge assembly of a foldable portable terminal, and more particularly, to a hinge assembly of a foldable portable terminal for rotatably coupling a folder with respect to the terminal body.

The present invention provides a portable terminal that is a small terminal made to be able to perform input manipulation while moving, for example, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an electronic notebook, a navigation device, and the like. In order to satisfy various needs of the user, such a mobile phone has been developed to implement various functions such as voice call, wireless communication, multimedia playback such as music and video, and GPS (Global Positioning System) map search.

It is advantageous for the terminal to have a large screen to implement various functions. To this end, in recent years, terminals such as clamshells and slides have become mainstream. Among these, the folder-type terminal is rotatably coupled in a state in which the folder is disposed to face the front of the terminal body, and has a structure in which the display screen of the folder and the keypad of the terminal body can be opened and closed simultaneously according to the rotation direction of the folder. .

Such a clamshell terminal has a hinge assembly for rotatably coupling a folder to the terminal body. Typically, for mounting the hinge assembly, the clamshell terminal has a pair of side hinge mounts formed on either side of the folder and the terminal body which are spaced apart from each other and formed to be disposed between the side hinge mounts on the other side. A center hinge mount is provided. Here, the hinge assembly has a structure that can be mounted between the side hinge mounts and the center hinge mounts, respectively.

However, according to the above, the hinge assembly may rotate the folder stably by supporting the folder on both sides with respect to the terminal body. However, since the hinge assembly must be installed on the side hinge mounts on both sides of the center hinge mount, there may be inconvenience in assembly.

And, the portion that the hinge assembly occupies at the coupling site between the terminal body and the folder can be quite large. Accordingly, it is not only disadvantageous in miniaturizing the terminal, but also may be a limitation in designing the terminal in various ways.

On the other hand, the clamshell terminal has a main circuit board for a keypad or the like built in the terminal body, and a sub circuit board for a display screen or the like in a folder. Here, the main circuit board and the sub circuit board are generally electrically connected to each other by a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

Specifically, the FPCB is connected at both ends to the main circuit board and the sub-circuit board to electrically connect them, and penetrates through the hinge assembly and is installed to surround the rotating shaft so that the folder can rotate freely with respect to the terminal body. However, in the above-described structure, since the FPCB is installed to surround the rotation axis of the hinge assembly, the assembly of the FPCB may not be easy.

In addition, the hinge assembly is installed between the brackets coupled to the terminal body and the brackets coupled to the folder to support relative rotation between the brackets. Here, the rotation is smoothly interposed between the hinge shaft and the bracket via a bushing.

However, the bushing is generally made of plastic and spaced apart between the brackets, so that the hinge assembly has a structure in which electricity is not conducted, that is, a non-conductive structure. Such a hinge assembly requires a separate connection means when the design of the terminal needs to ground the sub circuit board to the ground of the main circuit board. That is, in the case of the hinge assembly having a current-carrying structure due to the design of the terminal, application may be limited.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a hinge assembly of a foldable portable terminal, which can be easily assembled and can be selectively switched to an energized or non-energized structure.

The hinge assembly of the foldable portable terminal according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a terminal body, a folder that rotates in one axis direction with respect to the terminal body, a circuit board of the terminal body and a circuit board of the folder. A foldable portable terminal having an FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) electrically connected to each other, comprising: a main body bracket having one side fixed to the terminal body and having a hollow formed along the axial direction; One side is fixed to the folder, a folder bracket for forming a hollow along the axial direction; And a hinge shaft inserted between the hollow of the body bracket and the hollow of the folder bracket to support relative rotation between the body bracket and the folder bracket, wherein the portion including the center of the FPCB includes: It is characterized in that it is accommodated in the groove for the FPCB of the hinge shaft through the holes for the FPCB formed on each side of the bracket for the main body, folder.

Since the hinge assembly according to the present invention is applicable to a structure in which a first hinge housing is provided in the terminal body and one second hinge housing is provided in the folder, the assembly may be easier than in the conventional example described above. have. In addition, since the hinge assembly can reduce the portion occupied at the coupling portion between the terminal body and the folder, it can be advantageous to downsize or diversify the terminal.

And, since the hinge assembly according to the present invention is installed so that the portion including the center of the FPCB is accommodated in the hinge shaft, as compared with the conventional FPCB is installed through the hinge assembly to surround the rotating shaft, assembly can be easier. .

In addition, when the hinge assembly according to the present invention can be selectively switched to the energized structure or non-energized structure, there is an effect that can be appropriately responded to the case where the terminal structure or the non-energized structure is necessary for the terminal design.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of a folding portable terminal employing a hinge assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 illustrates a process of assembling the hinge assembly shown in FIG. It is an exploded perspective view for that.

1 and 2, the foldable portable terminal 10 employing the hinge assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a uniaxial direction with respect to the terminal body 11 and the terminal body 11. The folder 16 is rotated.

The terminal body 11 may be provided with a keypad, and the folder 16 may be provided with a display screen on a surface facing the terminal body 11. The folder 16 may be further provided with an auxiliary display screen on the opposite side where the display screen is provided. On the other hand, when the terminal main body 11 is equipped with a microphone, and the folder 16 is equipped with a speaker, and the communication module is provided in the terminal main body 11, it can be used for telephone calls and the like.

The terminal body 11 may include a main circuit board 14 for a keypad, a microphone, a communication module, and the like, and a sub circuit board 19 for a display screen, a speaker, etc. may be embedded in the folder 16. Here, the main circuit board 14 and the sub circuit board 19 are electrically connected to each other by the FPCB 21. That is, both ends of the FPCB 21 are connected to the main circuit board 14 and the sub circuit board 19 to electrically connect them.

In addition, a first hinge housing 12 is formed at one side of the upper end of the terminal body 11, that is, at the right side. The first hinge housing 12 is arranged in the axial direction in which the folder 16 rotates, and has a structure having an inner space and an open end toward the center. The length of the first hinge housing 12 may be about half the width of the left and right sides of the terminal body 11.

The first hinge housing 12 has a structure in which the terminal body 11 is composed of the first and second body cases 11a and 11b and is coupled to each other. As shown in FIG. It may be arranged in any one of (11a) (11b). Not limited to this, the first hinge housing 12 may be divided into two components and disposed one by one in the first and second body cases 11a and 11b.

Corresponding to the first hinge housing 12, a second hinge housing 17 is formed on the upper left side of the folder 16. The second hinge housing 17 is disposed in the axial direction in which the folder 16 rotates on the side of the first hinge housing 12. That is, the second hinge housing 17 is disposed on the same axis as the first hinge housing 12, but is disposed adjacent to the first hinge housing 12.

The second hinge housing 17 has an inner space and an open end portion toward the center thereof. The second hinge housing 17 has a left and right width of the folder 16 approximately equal to the left and right widths of the terminal body 11. In the same case, the length may be approximately half of the left and right widths of the folder 16.

The second hinge housing 17 has a structure in which the folder 16 is formed by combining the first and second folder cases 16a and 16b, and is divided into two components as shown in the first and second folder cases ( It may be divided into each of the 16a) (16b). The second hinge housing 17 is not limited thereto and may be configured as one component and disposed in any one of the first and second folder cases 16a and 16b. On the other hand, since the first and second hinge housings 12 and 17 may be arranged with the left and right positions interchanged with each other, the present invention is not necessarily limited to those illustrated.

The hinge assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted in the first and second hinge housings 12 and 17 described above. Referring to FIG. 2, the bracket 110 for the main body of the hinge assembly 100 is received and fixed in the first hinge housing 12, and the folder bracket 120 of the hinge assembly 100 includes the second hinge housing ( 17) is received and fixed in. Here, the body bracket 110 and the folder bracket 120 are rotatably supported by a hinge shaft 130, which will be described later, so that the terminal body 11 and the folder 16 are rotatable with each other. Can be connected.

The bracket 110 for the main body includes a first hinge fastening portion 111 to be received and fixed in the first hinge housing 12 and to correspond to the first hinge fastening portion 111. Has a first housing fastening portion 13.

Similarly, the folder bracket 120 includes a second hinge fastening portion 121 so as to be received and fixed in the second hinge housing 17 and to correspond to the second hinge fastening portion 121. 16 has a second housing fastening 18. Between the first hinge fastening portion 111 and the first housing fastening portion 13 and between the second hinge fastening portion 121 and the second housing fastening portion 18 may be fastened with screws or the like.

As described above, since the hinge assembly 100 is installed in the first hinge housing 12 and the second hinge housing 17 provided in the terminal body 11 and the folder 16, as compared with the conventional example described above, Assembly can be easier. In addition, since the hinge assembly 100 can reduce the portion occupied at the coupling portion between the terminal body 11 and the folder 16, it may be advantageous to miniaturize or diversify the terminal 10.

The hinge assembly 100 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge assembly shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly shown in FIG. 1.

3 and 4, the hinge assembly 100 includes a body bracket 110, a folder bracket 120, and a hinge shaft 130.

The bracket 110 for the main body is fixed to the terminal main body 11 as described above. Body bracket 110 is a shape that can be placed in close contact with the first hinge housing 12, for example, when the inner shape of the first hinge housing 12 is a cylindrical shape, correspondingly the body is made of a cylindrical shape Can be.

In addition, the body of the body bracket 110 may be hollow along the axial direction, and may have a structure in which both ends are opened. Here, the hollow of the body bracket 110 is formed so that the hinge shaft 130 can be inserted.

In addition, a first FPCB hole 112 is formed at one side of the body of the bracket 110 for the main body so that a portion including the center of the FPCB 21 can be inserted into the hollow. To this end, the first FPCB hole 112 may be formed so that a part of the body of the body bracket 110 is cut and communicated with the hollow. Here, the first FPCB hole 112 is directed toward the folder bracket 120 so that the first FPCB hole 112 can communicate with the second FPCB hole 122 to be described later in the state in which the folder 16 is folded in the terminal body 11. The site may be formed open.

The folder bracket 120 is fixed to the folder 16 as described above. The folder bracket 120 may have a cylindrical shape in response to an inner shape of the second hinge housing 17 having a cylindrical shape. In addition, the body of the folder bracket 120 may be hollow along the axial direction, and may have a structure in which both ends are opened. Here, the hollow of the folder bracket 120 is formed so that the hinge shaft 130 can be inserted.

In addition, a second FPCB hole 122 is formed at one side of the body of the folder bracket 120 so that a portion including the center of the FPCB 21 can be inserted into the hollow. To this end, the second FPCB hole 122 may be formed in communication with the hollow by cutting a portion of the body of the folder bracket 120. Here, the second FPCB hole 122 is directed toward the main body bracket 110 so that the second FPCB hole 122 can communicate with the aforementioned first FPCB hole 112 while the folder 16 is folded in the terminal body 11. The site may be formed open. Accordingly, a portion including the center of the FPCB 21 may be easily inserted through the holes 112 and 122 for the first and second FPCBs.

The hinge shaft 130 is for supporting a relative rotation between the body bracket 110 and the folder bracket 120. To this end, the hinge shaft 130 is formed to be inserted over the hollow of the body bracket 110 and the hollow of the folder bracket 120. A groove 131 for the FPCB is formed at one side of the hinge shaft 130.

The FPCB groove 131 may be formed to communicate with the first and second FPCB holes 112 and 122 by recessing a part of the hinge shaft 130. In addition, the FPCB groove 131 has a center of the FPCB 21 so that the folder 16 can be smoothly rotated without the FPCB 21 coming out when the folder 16 rotates with respect to the terminal body 11. It is preferable that the portion including the size is made to be sufficiently accommodated. For example, the groove 131 for the FPCB may have a size such that a portion including the center of the FPCB 21 is wound and accommodated or folded and accommodated.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, the FPCB 21 is accommodated in the hinge shaft 130, including the center portion, both ends through the FPCB grooves 131 and the first and second FPCB holes 112 and 122. Since it is commonly drawn out and connected to the main circuit board 14 and the sub circuit board 19, the assembly can be made easier than the conventional FPCB is installed through the hinge assembly to surround the rotating shaft.

Meanwhile, the bushing 140 for the main body may be interposed between the bracket for the main body 110 and the hinge shaft 130. The bushing 140 for the main body prevents abrasion due to friction between the main bracket 110 and the hinge shaft 130 when they rotate relative to each other and smoothly rotates.

In addition, when the main body bracket 110 and the hinge shaft 130 is made of a metallic material to have conductivity, the main body bushing 140 is made of a material such as an insulating material, for example, poly oxymethylene (POM), or the like. It may serve as a function of insulating between the 110 and the hinge shaft 130. The main bushing 140 may be extended to be partially interposed between the hinge shaft 130 and the folder bracket 120. The bushing 140 for the main body may be fixed to the bracket 110 for the main body.

An additional FPCB hole, that is, a third FPCB hole 141 is formed in the body bushing 140. The third FPCB hole 141 may be accommodated into the FPCB groove 131 of the hinge shaft 130 by passing through the FPCB 21 passing through the first FPCB hole 112 of the body bracket 110. It is to. To this end, the third FPCB hole 141 is formed so that a part of the bushing 140 for the main body is cut and communicated with the internal space.

When the main body bushing 140 is made of an insulating material, and the main body bracket 110, the folder bracket 120, and the hinge shaft 130 is made of a conductive material, the body bracket 110 and the folder The brackets 120 may be arranged to be insulated from each other.

The folder bushing 150 may be further provided between the folder bracket 120 and the hinge shaft 130 so that the main body bracket 110 and the folder bracket 120 may be insulated from each other.

One end of the folder bushing 150 is fixed to the folder bracket 120, the other end is inserted into the folder bracket 120 to abut on the end of the bushing 140 for the main body, and the body bracket 110 and the folder. The brackets 120 may be formed to be spaced apart from each other. In addition, the folder bushing 150 may be made of an insulating material, for example, POM, to insulate between the folder bracket 120 and the hinge shaft 130.

The folder bushing 150 may also function to remove the play between the folder bracket 120 and the hinge shaft 130 so as not to flow between the folder bracket 120 and the hinge shaft 130. . In addition, the folder bushing 150 may have a structure in which a portion corresponding to the second FPCB hole 122 is cut. Meanwhile, the hinge shaft 130 may not be in contact with the folder bracket 120, so that the hinge shaft 130 may be insulated from the folder bracket 120.

When the hinge shaft 130 is inserted into and fixed to the folder bracket 120, the locking jaw 132 is disposed at an end of the hinge shaft 130 toward the main body bracket 110 so that the hinge shaft 130 is not inserted into the main body bracket 110. ) May be formed.

The locking jaw 132 may be in close contact with the opening of the bracket 110 for the main body to prevent the hinge shaft 130 from being separated from the bracket 110 for the main body. In this case, the hinge shaft 130 and the bracket for the main body 110 may be in contact and energized. In order to insulate the hinge shaft 130 from the bracket 110 for the main body, a bushing 140 for the main body may extend between the periphery of the opening of the bracket 110 for the main body and the locking projection 132 of the hinge shaft 130. have. In addition, when the rotation limiting projection 133 is formed on the side of the locking step 132 of the hinge shaft 130 so that the folder 16 does not rotate beyond the set range, the bushing 140 for the main body 140 has the rotation limiting projection 133. Rotation restriction groove 142 may be formed.

In addition, the hinge shaft 130 may be fixed to the folder bracket 120 by a fixing pin 160. That is, the fixing pin 160 is installed through the folder bracket 120 and the hinge shaft 130 to allow the hinge shaft 130 to be fixed to the folder bracket 120.

The fixing pin 160 may be made of a metal material. In this case, since the conductive pin 160 is conductive, the insulating part 161 may be formed at a portion in contact with the hinge shaft 130 so as to be insulated from the hinge shaft 130. Accordingly, the hinge shaft 130 and the folder bracket 120 may be insulated from each other. The insulation portion 161 may be formed by insert mold (insert mold) to the fixing pin by POM. On the other hand, the fixing pin 160 may be made of an insulating material.

The hinge assembly 100 configured as described above may have a non-conductive structure in which the bracket for the main body 110, the bracket for the folder 120, and the hinge shaft 130 are all insulated from each other.

On the other hand, the hinge assembly 100 may be further provided with a hinge driver 170. The hinge driving unit 170 provides a force to hold the folder 16 fully folded or folded relative to the terminal body 11, while the folder 16 is automatically fully folded or folded around a predetermined angle. It is to provide strength that can be lost.

For example, the hinge driving unit 170 may include a driving unit case, a moving cam accommodated in the driving unit case, an elastic member elastically supporting the moving cam, and a fixed cam formed to engage the moving cam. Here, the hinge driving unit 170 may be installed so that one of the fixed cam and the driving unit case is inserted into the groove formed in the hinge shaft 130 and the other is fixed to the bracket 110 for the main body.

5 illustrates a hinge assembly 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The hinge assembly 200 of the present embodiment has the same structure as that of the hinge assembly 100 of the above-described embodiment of the FPCB 21, but there is a difference in that it can be selectively converted into an energized structure or a non-energized structure. The same reference numerals as in the above-described drawings represent the same members having the same function, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The hinge assembly 200 according to the present embodiment has a switching means 280 to be selectively switched to the energized structure or the non-energized structure. In addition, the folder bushing 150 of the above-described embodiment is omitted, and the hinge shaft 230 is in contact with the folder bracket 120 to be energized with the folder bracket 120.

The switching means 280 is installed through the bracket 110 for the main body and the bushing 140 for the main body, and the end is installed to be able to move forward and backward with respect to the hinge shaft 130.

The switching means 280 may include a screw 281. The screw 281 is screwed to the bracket 110 for the main body, and the end of the screw 281 can be moved back and forth with respect to the hinge shaft 230 according to the rotation direction, thereby making it possible to contact or non-contact with the hinge shaft 230. Accordingly, the screw 281 is finally able to selectively energize or non-energize between the bracket for the main body 110 and the folder bracket 120. Therefore, the hinge assembly 200 can be selectively converted into an energized structure or a non-energized structure according to the design needs of the terminal 10 and applied.

When the hinge shaft 230 rotates while the end portion of the screw 281 is in contact with the hinge shaft 230, the hinge shaft 230 may be damaged. In order to prevent this, it is preferable that the coil spring 282 is further provided at the lower end of the screw 281. The coil spring 282 is retracted from the hinge shaft 230 when the screw 281 is retracted when the hinge assembly 200 is not energized, and then the hinge shaft 230 is moved forward by the screw 281 when the hinge assembly 200 is energized. ) At this time, in a state in which the coil spring 282 is in contact with the hinge shaft 230, the coil spring 282 energizes between the hinge shaft 230 and the bracket for the main body 110, and of the hinge shaft 230 A shock absorbing function during rotation may prevent damage to the hinge shaft 230.

An auxiliary bushing 290 may be further interposed between the body bracket 110 and the folder bracket 120. Auxiliary bushing 290 allows to prevent rotational flow during relative rotation between the bracket for the body 110 and the folder bracket 120. To this end, the auxiliary bushing 290 may be formed to surround the circumference of the body bushing 140 between the body bracket 110 and the folder bracket 120. In addition, the auxiliary bushing 290 may be made of a plastic material or the like.

The auxiliary bushing 290 may have a structure in which a portion corresponding to the first and second FPCB holes 112 and 122 is cut so that a portion including the center of the FPCB 21 may pass therethrough. In this case, the auxiliary bushing 290 is preferably fixed to the bracket for the main body 110 or the folder 120. On the other hand, the hinge shaft 230 may be fixed to the folder bracket 120 by the fixing pin 260, the fixing pin 260 may be made of a material having no conductivity. Of course, the fixing pin 260 may be made of a conductive material.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to one embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, this is merely exemplary, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible. Could be. Accordingly, the true scope of protection of the invention should be defined only by the appended claims.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of a foldable portable terminal employing a hinge assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a process of assembling the hinge assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 to a folding portable terminal.

3 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge assembly shown in FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly shown in FIG. 1.

5 is a cross-sectional view of a hinge assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention.

11. Terminal body 12. First hinge housing

16. Folder 17. Second hinge housing

21..FPCB 110..Body bracket

112. First hole for FPCB 120. Folder bracket

122. Second hole for FPCB 130. Hinge shaft

131..FPCB groove 140..Body bushing

141 .. Second hole for FPCB 280 .. Switching means

Claims

A foldable portable terminal having a terminal body, a folder that rotates in one direction with respect to the terminal body, and a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) electrically connecting the circuit board of the terminal body and the circuit board of the folder to each other. In

A body bracket having one side fixed to the terminal body and having a hollow formed along the axial direction;

One side is fixed to the folder, a folder bracket for forming a hollow along the axial direction; And

And a hinge shaft inserted between the hollow of the main body bracket and the hollow of the folder bracket to support relative rotation between the main body bracket and the folder bracket.

A portion including the center of the FPCB is a hinge assembly of the foldable portable terminal, characterized in that accommodated in the FPCB groove of the hinge shaft through the holes for the FPCB formed on each side of the bracket for the main body, the folder.

The method of claim 1,

A bushing for a body is interposed between the hinge shaft and the bracket for the body;

The hinge assembly of the clamshell portable terminal, characterized in that an additional FPCB hole is formed in the bushing for the main body so that the FPCB can be passed through and accommodated in the hinge shaft.

3. The method of claim 2,

The body bracket, the folder bracket, and the hinge shaft are made of a conductive material, and the body bushing is made of an insulating material;

And a switching means installed through the main body bracket and the main body bushing and selectively conducting or non-energizing between the main body bracket and the folder bracket as the end contacts or contacts the hinge shaft. Hinge assembly of a clamshell mobile terminal.

The method of claim 3,

The switching means are:

A screw screwed to the bracket for the main body, the end of the screw being movable forward and backward with respect to the hinge shaft in a rotational direction;

Foldable portable terminal is provided at the end of the screw, the coil spring for energizing the main body bracket and the hinge shaft when the contact with the hinge shaft, and the buffer shaft while the hinge shaft rotates, the coil spring Hinge assembly.

The method according to claim 3 or 4,

And the hinge shaft is formed in contact with the folder bracket.

The method of claim 1,

A first hinge housing is formed at an upper end side of the terminal body in an axial direction in which the folder is rotated, and a second arrangement is arranged at an upper end of the folder in an axial direction in which the folder is rotated from a side of the first hinge housing. Hinge housing is formed,

The hinge assembly of the foldable portable terminal, wherein the bracket for the main body is accommodated in the first hinge housing and the folder bracket is accommodated in the second hinge housing.